Water wheel generator assembly



. May 14, 1957 R. A. BAUDRY 2,792,505

WATER WHEEL GENERATOR ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 2'?, 1956 IUI Fig.l.

United States Patent 4O WATER WHEEL GENERATOR ASSEMBLY Rene A. Baudry, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 27, 1956, Serial No. 561,779

4 Claims. (Cl. 290-52) My invention relates to vertical-shaft waterwheel generators, otherwise known as hydro-electric turbine-generators. The invention concerns itself more particularly with the combination of such a generator with the hydraulic turbine or waterwheel which is mounted underneath the same, within a pit in a hydro-electric powerplant or building.

Large waterwheel generators are usually slow-speed machines, having very heavy rotors. The size of the rotor has heretofore usually or frequently been determined by the required flywheel effect, with the result that it has not heretofore been practical, with previous designs, to reduce the weight of the generator by means of improved generator-cooling. The generator-rotor is several times heavier than the next heaviest piece which has to be moved, and this has usually determined the size of the crane which was required for assembly and maintenance. To accommodate the large-capacity crane which was required, the buildings which have previously housed large waterwheel generators have had to be reinforced at a great cost.

My present invention relates to a vertical-shaft hydroelectric turbine-generator or waterwheel-generator assembly, in which the generator-rotor has been redesigned so as to use an external annular ilywheel of large size, which is removably shrunk onto a light-weight spider, and which can be supported on a plurality of brake-andtjack means, so that the heavy rim-member, which is a flywheel, can be removed from its spider and can be left in place, while the other parts are removed for servie ing. This construction reduces the required crane-capacity, it reduces the required building-reinforcement, and it makes it practicable to reduce the weight of the generator by applying modern innercooling methods thereto, or other generatoncooling means, thus reducing the weight and the cost of both the rotor and the stator of the generator.

An exemplary form of embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a very much simplified and somewhat diagrammatic vertical sectional view, with some parts in elevation, showing a vertical-shaft waterwheel generator assembly embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the flywheel-rim and a portion of its spider, on the section-plane indicated at II-Il in Fig. 1.

The illustrated hydro-electric turbine-generator assembly includes a foundation 3, having therein a pit 4. A vertical-shaft waterwheel or hydraulic turbine 5 is mounted within the pit 4, said waterwheel having par-ts, such as the rotor 6, shaft 7, and head-cover 8, which are vertically removable by being lifted out of said pit. The foundation has a bearing-supporting ledge-portion 9, and a brake-and-jack-supporting ledge-portion 1t), both of said ledge-portions being above the pit.

The bearing-supporting ledge 9 supports a thrust-bearing supporting-bracket 11, which carries `a thrust-andguide-bearing assembly 12 which supports a vertical genlee crater-shaft 13, in a manner which may be similar to that which is shown in my Patent 2,597,055 of May 20, 1952. This generator-shaft has an upper shaft-portion 14 and a lower shaft-portion 15, respectively extending above and below the thrust-bearing 12. The downwardly extending shaft-portion 15 terminates in a coupler-means i6, for coupling the same to the watcrwheel-shaft 7.

According to my present invention, the upwardly extending `shaft-portion 14 of the generator, which extends up from the thrust-bearing 12, carries the spider-hub 17 of a ywheel-supporting spider which includes a plurality of spokes 18 lex-tending out from the hub 17. The spider-spokes 18 support a removable annular ywheelrim 20, with a plurality of removable spacer-keys 21 disposed between the rim and the -several spokes 18, as shown in Fig. 2; said rim normally having a shrunk-fit or lother tight fit on said spacer-keys, as set forth in my Patent 1,817,054 of Aug. 4, 1931. This iywheelrim 20 may be economically made of a laminated construction.

The brake-and-jack-supporting ledge 10 of the foundation 3 carries a plurality of vertically movable brakeand-jack means 22, in position to be raised against the underside of the flywheel-rim 20, for stopping the generator-rotor within a reasonable time, during the shuttingdown process, and for also supporting the weight of the rim when it is stopped.

According to my invention, as shown in Fig. 2, a convenient means is provided for first loosening the tight tit between the rim 20 and the spacer-keys 21, after which the spacer-keys may be removed. To this end, each of the spokes 18 ofthe spider may be provided, for example, with one or more shoulders or brackets 23. Thus, after the machine has been stopped, it is possible to insert portable jacks 24 between these shoulders 23 and the rim 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that the rim can be loosened from the spokes 18, one spoke at a time, and when the rim is loosened, the spider-key 21 for that spoke can be removed, thus making it possible to quickly disengage the ywheel-rim 20 from all of the spokes of its supporting spider.

The upper shaft-portion 14 of the generator carries a generator-rotor 25 which is spaced above and separate from the flywheel 20 and its spider 17-18. The generator-rotor 25 is surrounded by a generator-stator 26, the periphery of which is provided with a -suitable supporting-means such as feet 27 which are supported on an upper part of the foundation 3, usually at the oorlevel 28, so that the stator and rotor are in operative relation to each other.

The above-described arrangement has many advantages. It makes possible the use of a large flywheel 20 of minimum weight and cost. The flywheel-rim i-s made of such size that it permits the vertical removal or lifting of both the thrust-bearing supporting-bracket of the generator, and also the largest vertically removable waterwheel parts, such .as the waterwheel-rotor 6, through the bore of the flywheel. There is no need for maintenance of the ywheel-rim, so that there is no necessity to move it, thus eliminating the need for a high-capacity crane for this purpose.

Since I have provided a flywheel-member 20 which is separate and apart from the generator-rotor, the generator can now be designed to take advantage of irnproved cooling-methods, thus reducing the size, weight and cost of the rotor 25, and hence also the size, Weight and cost of the stator 26 which surrounds the rotor. The reduced size of the generator makes it practical to enclose either the `rotor 25 alone, or the whole generator including the stator-frame 26, in a gas-tight housing 30, which is supported in any convenient means above the flywheel 20. As shown, the gas-tight housing 30 has a lower bracket 31, which is removably mounted on the statorframe 26, as indicated at 32, and which has a suitable shaft-seal 33 surrounding the shaft-portion 14 between the generator-rotor 25 and the flywheel 2t). The coolingmeans is diagrammatica'lly indicated by means of a cooler 34 in the peripheral part of the gas-tight housing 3G, this being intended to represent any kind of forced or intercooling Ventilating-system for the generator.

It will be obvious that my invention is susceptible of considerable modification, in the way of the addition or the omission of various parts, and the substitution of various equivalents for the parts which are shown.

I claim as my invention:

1. A Vertical-shaft hydro-electric turbine-generator assembly, including a foundation having therein a pit, a vertical-shaftV waterwheel mounted within said pit and having parts which are vertically removable lby being lifted out of said pit, said foundation having a bearingsupporting ledge-portion and a brake-and-jack-supporting ledge-portion, both of said ledge-portions being above said pit, a thrust-bearing having a thrust-bearing supporting-bracket supported on said bearing-supporting ledgeportion, a vertical generator-shaft supported by said thrust-bearing and having shaft-portions extending above and below ysaid thrust-bearing, the downwardly extending shaft-portion having means for coupling the same to the waterwheel-shaft, a ilywheel-supporting spider having a hub-portion carried by the upwardly extending shaftportion of the generator, and having a plurality of spokes extending `out from said hub-portion, a removable annular flywheel-rim surrounding said spokes, with removable spacer-keys between the rim and the -several spokes, said rim normally having a tight tit on said spacer-keys, but said spacer-keys being removable when said tight lit of the rim is loosened, the inner diameter of said flywheelrim being large enough to permit the thrust-bearing supporting-bracket to be lifted vertically therethrough, a plurality of brake-and-jack means carried by said brakeand-jack-supporting ledge-portion in position to be raised against the underside of said iiywheel-rim, a generatorrotor carried by the generator-shaft in a position spaced above and separate from said tiywheel, and a generatorstator having a means for supporting itself in an operative position around said generator-rotor.

2. A vertical-shaft hydro-electric turbine-generator assembly, including a foundation having therein a pit, a vertical-shaft waterwheel mounted within said pit and having parts which are vertically removable by being lifted out of said pit, said foundation having a bearingsupporting ledge-portion and a brake-and-jack-supporting ledge-portion, both of said ledge-portions being above said pit, a thrust-bearing having a thrust-bearing supporting-bracket supported on said bearing-supporting ledge-portion, a vertical generator-shaft supported by said thrust-bearing and having shaft-portions extending above and below said thrust-bearing, the downwardly extending shaft-portion having means for coupling the same to the waterwheel-shaft, a ywheel-supporting spider having a hub-portion carried by the upwardly extending shaft-portion of the generator, and having a plurality of spokes extending out from said hub-portion, a removable annular flywheel-rim surrounding said spokes, with removable spacer-keys between the rim and the several spokes, said rim normally having a tight iit on said spacer-keys, but said spacer-keys being removable when said tight tit of the rim is loosened, the inner diameter of said ilywheel-rim being large enough to permit the thrust-bearing supporting-bracket to be lifted vertically therethrough, a plurality of brake-and-jack means carried by said brakeand-jack-supporting ledge-portion in position to be raised against the underside of said ywheel-rim, a generatorrotor carried by the generator-shaft in a position spaced above and separate from said ywheel, a generator-stator having a means for supporting itself in an operative position around said generator-rotor, a gas-tight generatorhousing surrounding at least said generator-rotor and including at least a shaft-seal surrounding the portion of the shaft between the generator-rotor and the ywheel, and means for cooling both said generator-rotor and said generator-statori 3. A vertical-shaft electric generator, comprising a thrust-bearing having a thrust-bearing supporting-bracket extending outwardly from the outer periphery of the thrust-bearing proper, a vertical generator-shaft supported by said thrust-bearing and having shaft-portions extending above and below said thrust-bearing, a flywheelsupporting spider having a hub-portion carried by the upwardly extending shaft-portion of the generator, and having a plurality of spokes extending out from said hubportion, a removable annular flywheel-rim surrounding said spokes, with removable spacer-keys between the rim and the several spokes, said rim normally having a tight tit on said spacer-keys, but said spacer-keys being removable when said tight lit of the rim is loosened, the inner diameter of said flywheel-rim being large enough to permit the thrust-bearing supporting-bracket to be lifted vertically therethrough, a plurality of brake-and-jack means disposed in position to be raised against the underside of said flywheel-rim, a generator-rotor carried by the generator-shaft in a position spaced above and separate from said flywheel, and a generator-stator having a means for supporting itself in an operative position around said generator-rotor.

4. A vertical-shaft electric generator, comprising a thrust-bearing having a thrust-bearing supporting-bracket extending outwardly from the outer periphery of the thrust-bearing proper, a vertical generator-shaft supported by said thrust-bearing and having shaft-portions extending above and below said thrust-bearing, a flywheelsupporting spider having a hub-portion carried by the upwardly extending shaft-portion of the generator, and having a plurality of spokes extending out from said hubportion, a removable annular ywheel-rim surrounding said spokes, with removable spacer-keys between the rim and the several spokes, said rim normally having a tight fit on said spacer-keys, but said spacer-keys being removable when said tight tit of the rim is loosened, the inner diameter of said flywheel-rim being large enough to permit the thrust-bearing supporting-bracket to be lifted vertically therethrough, a plurality of brake-and-jackV means disposed in position to be raised against the underside of said flywheel rim, a generator-rotor carried by the generator-shaft in a position spaced above and separate from said flywheel, a generator-stator having a means for supporting itself in an operative position around said lgenerator-rotor, a gas-tight generator-housing surrounding at least said generator-rotor and including at least a shaft-seal surrounding the portion of the shaft between the generator-rotor and the `flywheel, and means for cooling both said generator-rotor and said generator-stator.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,817,054 Baudry Aug. 4, 1931 2,473,847 Baudry et al. June l0, 1949 2,597,055 Baudry May 20, 1952 2,722,612 Danel et al. Nov. l, 1955 

